New Sustainability Partnership

Welcome to the City of Des Moines

A major center for insurance, financial services and publishing, Des Moines has a lot to offer, such as affordable housing, short commute times, a diverse population, and was also recently named one of the best places to live on the Silicon Prairie.

Spotlight on Des Moines

Gray's Lake Park features the 1,400 foot-long Kruidenier Trail pedestrian bridge and a 1.9 mile trail around the lake. "...Residents can walk, bike, boat or fish -- right in the very heart of downtown," said Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie.

East Village

World Food Prize

Des Moines is home to the World Food Prize the foremost international award recognizing the achievements in advancing human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.

Research & Budget

Research and Budget Office

The function of the Research and Budget Office is to prepare and compile the City's Operating Budget and Capital Improvements Program, perform fiscal analyses of City operations, and provide research and analysis support on issues that impact the City.

Contact Information

The Research and Budget Office of the Finance Department is here to serve you Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Please see our Holiday Schedule for recognized holiday closings. We can be reached by phone at (515) 283-4854. Our fax number is (515) 237-1668. Please feel free to email us 24 hours a day.

A fiscal year begins on July 1st and ends the following year on June 30th. The fiscal year is represented by the year the budget ends. For example, the fiscal year of 2017 denotes the period from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017.

Annual city budgets for upcoming fiscal year must be certified by the State of Iowa by March 15th of the year they begin.

The current and previous Operating Budgets are provided in two viewing formats: as single documents or broken down into sections. Use the following link to view operating budgets for the current or previous fiscal years in your preferred format.

The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget includes all of the Capital Improvement Projects for the current year and the five fiscal years following. The Capital Improvement Program helps to better plan for, prioritize, and coordinate capital improvement projects within a city's limited resources. This helps avoid surprises and coordinate financing through single debt issuances or planned rate increases. The City of Des Moines has adopted a CIP each and every year since before 1965.

The Capital Budget is the first year of the CIP that includes a detailed source of funding for each project. It is formally adopted by March 15th of each year, in conjunction with the Operating Budget. The two budgets are tied together in that capital improvement projects often impact operating costs. The operating budget should reflect any corresponding changes in resource allocation due to CIP projects.

A Capital Improvement Project is a major expenditure involving all aspects of the construction, renovation, and repair of City owned buildings and infrastructure. Such projects usually have a minimum useful life of 10 years, costs exceeding $10,000, and are funded in whole, or in part, through the issuance of Bonds, Federal Funds, State Funds, or user fees specifically designated for such a purpose.

Capital Improvement Projects do not include: normal operating expenditures for employee salaries, routine maintenance and repair, other activities associated with, or consumed during a single fiscal year, and capital outlays (projects and equipment that fail to meet the definition of a capital project). All salaries and benefits are paid out of the operating departments; however, the operating funds are reimbursed for city staff work directly related to CIP projects.